By offering integrated application acceleration and branch-office routing in a single package, Cisco Systems
® reduces the complexity and costs of value-added services, while optimizing WAN bandwidth and reducing operational costs. Organizations can take a phased approach, starting small with fewer services and incrementally adding services. For example-an organization can start with a simple service, such as accelerating security patch distribution or URL filtering, and then add video-based e-learning or corporate communications.

Compared to standalone appliances, the Content Engine Network Module in the branch-office router offers the following advantages: